The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1887-04-16
HICKS-BEAGH and BALFOuR.

A Pointed Letter from the Pen Of
MIR. T. NJ. Realy, in the
Dublin Nation.
WHAT DROVE SIR HICKS-BEACH
Out of Dublin and What Led to the Az
pointment Of Arthur Balfour as
Chief Secretary.
Something harder than batons" has
driven Sir NJ. Hicks Beach out of Dub.
lin Castle, and something harder than
batons' driven home at Youghal has
driven a bloody handsel to the new Sec
retariate Of Mr.. Arthur Balfour. The
Beach eclipse, following twenty four
hours afterhis cut throat deliverance in
Parliament, was dramatic in it's sudden
ness, and his resignation at such a juno
ture, looked at merely as a bit Of stage
management, was very clumsy busi-
ne:s for the Government. The fact
chat the landlords never had a good
word to say for our late ruler, and gave
him continual distresses in private.
while in front he was faced by the Irish
party and the plan Of campaign, makes
one doubt the ophthalmic allegation as
the sole ground for his collapse. On
the day before he resigned, during the
debate raised by Mr.. Dillon on the
police, he sat shading his eyes with his
hand, and complained that he was suf-
fering; but the word went round that it
was toothache, and until he jerked out
his famous advice to the police nobody
suspected that the man was seriously
out of joint. He had interposed in the
debate towards the end Of the evening
in most needless fashion TO seize hold
of something said by MI. John O'Con-
nor as to Sub-Inspector Milling assault
on Or. Tanner at Cork, and it was evil
dent from his manner that he meant
mischief. When a debate is dragging
itself out, the last thing 8 Minister
usually thinks of is to give it a vanton
FLIP by Attending fresh matter for dis
cussion, and from a Tory point of view
it was specially unhappy to seize On d
case such as that Of Milling's, where the
sub-iuspector had been actually returned
for trial by the magistrates foG unpro-
voked assault on q member OF Parli;s-
ment. az & handle for unfolding a new
police policy. When the scene was over
sensible Ministerialists bitterly blamed
their spokesman, and then came the
surprise. The puzzle, therefore. is to
know whether Sir M. Beach made his
speech with his resignation in his
pocket, in order to tmharass his success
sor, or for the purpose Of proving to The
Kildare Street Club, where a litany of
curses has nightly gone up at his name,
that he could be firm when be liked, and
as an atonement for past weakness. BY
the Abercorn gang Beach WAS detested.
Lord Ernest Hamilton's attack on his
policy two months ago received asj1ent
accentuation from the ducal head of
the House on the very evening when his
retirement was published. a banquet
was given that night to Lord Salisbury
with the Duke Of Abercorn presiding,
but while nearly every other speaker
thought it only a decent thing to at
least lip regret over the affection
which it was officially notified had be-
fallen distinguished Cabinet Minister,
thu Duke, as head of the Orange stall
warts, though obliged as chairman to
make several speeches, never even al
luded to the matter. This incident is
really the best testimonial that could
have been offered to the departed Of
fetal, and makes one sorry for him, for
to have incurred the displeasure Of the
Hamiltons and the Kildare Street Club
Tory Secretary must have sinned
deeply against the canons Of landlord
ism. They dwell with great bitterness
on two letters he wrote in protest
against the conduct Of the rackrenters
--one to Lord Dillon and the other to
Lord Clanricarde. One Of these noble
persons made no secret of the general
contents Of the epistle he received,
which was couched in the strongest
terms that could be employed in official
English, and the wrath of this class that
an Irish Secretary should have ''gone
out of his way" to help the 'twork of the
agitators'' rose accordingly. Having
then to face the parliamentary demands
of the tenants champions, and to pilot
a Land Bill as we'll as a Coercion Bill
through the House of Commons, Sir NJ.
Beach discovered that his sight was not
good enough, nor his nerve strong
enough, to ride two bareback steeds at
the same time, and 50 be has descended
into the sawdust. Poor man, I am
sorry for him, and bope his sight will
mend. He seems to have meant better
than his party. a dry-as-dust Glou-
cester squire, who knew as little about
the Kerry or Galway cOttier as the